Everyday seemed to have lost its purpose, again she felt alone and abandoned when in fact it was her that abandoned him. She never unpacked her suitcase, her belongings still packed up for the fleeting chance that he would call and tell her to come back. Or was it because of the several times she went to the airport to fly back to him? She felt empty, phone calls were not the same, she wanted more than to just hear his voice. She wanted to feel his touch, smell his scent and engulf herself in him.

"It has been almost a month Emma, you really need to get out. All you do is work and go home and sulk. Ian and I are worried about you, you should come out with us to Nyne tonight."

***********

Emilene looked up from her computer to see the worried expression painted on Michelle's face. Michelle was right, she became a recluse and Tom even noticed in their last phone conversation.

"Emma I know it is hard, believe me there are times that I just want to walk away from the tour and fly back to you. But I can't do that, I have commitments and we both need to enjoy the time apart, even though it is hard."

"But Tom it is difficult, so difficult. So many times I have packed up and gone to the airport only to be scared to come to you. It hurts so much."

Tom's sighing could be heard on the other line, Emilene wiped the tears out of her eyes and tried to compose herself. Tom didn't like hearing her cry, and but it seemed to be all that she was doing lately.

"Emma, I love you and we will be done touring in another month. Just another month please."

She shook her head as if he was in the room with her, she could hear him fighting back his feelings and trying to be the strong one.

"I'm sorry Tom, I love you too."

***********

Sighing heavily she knew Michelle was right. Lately she didn't even recognize the face in the mirror. Who was the girl staring back with her sunken eyes, dark circles painted underneath, a frown that portrayed a sad story and the joy sucked out of her?

"You're right, I will meet you two there –"

"Be there at ten! Emma, I promise you won't regret it!" Michelle came to her side and pulled her into a tight hug.

Everyone was right, she needed to get out, to be free, to let herself go. The beat of the music resonated through her veins, her hips swaying with each beat, and she felt as if she was in her own world. Nothing could take her away from what she was feeling, it was a euphoric escape. Guys would come up and grind on her or try to mess with her groove; she would ignore them and continue on with her blissful state.

Michelle and Ian were happy with how she was acting tonight. To them, it was having the old Emilene back. To Ian there was something about Tom that rubbed him the wrong way. What was it about Tom that made her so depressed, so shut off from the world? Ian had no romantic inclinations with Emilene as he was happily involved with someone else. But in the years he knew Emilene, she never let someone get so close to her, to the point where she was fragile and could break.

"What are you thinking about?" Michelle nudged Ian softly.

"That I am happy we were able to convince her to come out." He pointed over to Emilene on the dance floor.

Large smile spread across Michelle's face. "I am happy to Ian, she needed to come back to reality."

Ian nodded and hung his shoulders. "I don't know about Tom, there is something about him that I don't trust Michelle."

Michelle knew this moment was coming. Ian was the protector of both girls; it was hard for him to trust the men the girls got involved with.

"He is a very good guy Ian, there isn't a mean bone in his body. If she is happy then you should be happy for her."

Michelle was right, as much as he didn't want to admit it; he knew that as long as Emilene was happy he should be too. It didn't mean that he didn't have to like Tom, but it also didn't mean that he couldn't support Emilene in her decision.

The beat began to slow down and change tempo. She licked her lips and noticed how parched her throat was. Across the way she spotted her two friends and made her way over to them. All the dancing began to take its toll on her, after a few sips from her glass of water she decided to call it night. It was fun to get out and she made note to get out more often.

The walk home was refreshing; the cold breeze brought back memories of Europe and sitting on her hotel porch with Tom. Once she arrived at her apartment, she decided to make herself a glass of vodka and cranberry juice. She grabbed her laptop and made herself comfortable on her couch. Within several minutes of flipping through the TV channels, she settled on the classic movie "Sabrina." Audrey Hepburn was one of her favorite actresses and she loved the story of the movie. She turned on her laptop and checked her emails; there she saw a message from Tom telling her to call him when she got home.

She contemplated for a minute before giving in and dialing his number. She hung up when it went to voicemail and sent him a text message instead. An hour later her phone buzzed letting her know that she received a text message. It was Tom giving her information to go on Skype.

She heard of Skype but never actually thought of using it to chat with Tom. The butterflies began in her stomach; it has been a few weeks since she saw him. Her hair was a mess and her makeup smeared from lying on the couch watching the movie. She followed his instructions and was soon connected to chat wit him. A few moments went by until she saw his face staring back at her.

She burst into a fit of giggles, letting her nerves take over instead of her brain. The questioning look Tom was giving her didn't help either!

"So you greet me with giggles?"

She let herself go for another minute before catching her breath and settling down. "I'm sorry, I let my nerves take over. It is exciting knowing that I can see you whenever I want too!"

His smile melted her heart; she saw the sparkle in his eyes and could see happiness written all over his face.

"Hi Emma! Can she hear me Tom? TOM?! Can she see me? I can see her!" Bill's voice could be heard yelling in the background.

"Hello Bill! I can't see you, but I can hear you!"

"Oh my dear Emma, how you need to be here. Tom spends the day moping around and is no fun anymore."

"Just ignore Bill, I think all that hairspray finally got the best of him." Tom replied.

The chat was long and lasted well into the early morning; Tom let her know how the tour was going and the energy fans excluded at each concert. He again offered up to fly her out but she declined, as her schedule was full at work. It was now that she scolded herself for over scheduling and deciding to be a workaholic. They decided to start Skyping a few nights a week instead of phone calls, being able to see each other was a perk. Of course Tom had a few other things in mind, but Emilene couldn't bring herself to be that outlandish.

Emilene placed her lap top on the floor next to her couch and let herself be overcomed by her dreams.